1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer network authentication services. Specifically, the invention relates to apparatus, methods, and systems for providing authentication services to legacy applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, computer networks have been increasingly significant in terms of the quantity and sensitivity of the data communicated. Once used primarily for academic purposes, the Internet has become a vehicle for communicating such confidential information as credit card transactions, bank account transactions, and corporate intellectual property. The same applies to proprietary corporate networks. As the quantity and value of the data being communicated has increased, the threats to the security of this data have increased proportionately.
One of the technologies developed to address data security threats is Kerberos authentication. Kerberos provides a means for sensitive data to be communicated securely across an insecure network. Kerberos authentication relies on the existence of a Kerberos server that certifies a user's identity to network services utilized by an application the user is running. Services that use Kerberos to authenticate users are said to be “Kerberized.”
Many organizations use legacy applications that are not capable of using Kerberized services. These organizations face the dilemma of undergoing an expensive upgrade or rewriting of their legacy applications, or facing the increasing threats to the security of their data.
Given the aforementioned issues and challenges related to providing authentication services and the shortcomings of currently available solutions, a need exists for an apparatus, method, and system for providing authentication services to legacy applications. Beneficially, such an apparatus, method, and system would translate legacy authentication services to Kerberos authentication services.